The Show
by Damuzachi
Summary: Mephisto was always the one to put on a good show but is he ready for the performance of a lifetime from outside sources who are plotting to kill him? Oh, how will he deal? MEPHISTOxOC Curious? Questions? READ ON! RATED T for violence, language, and some mature content. THIS IS GONNA BE FUN!
1. Action

**Hello again everyone!**

**Damuzachi here. Let me start by saying that I know you guys probably hate me for deleting my last story. Or you probably could care less. I apologize greatly for that. However, I deleted it for personal (artistic) reasons. I had to leave fanfiction for a while but I'm back with a new story. **

**Okay, let's get started.**

**WARNINGS AND NOTES:**

**1) Story is Rated T for possible language and intimate situations. Nothing crazy. I promise. Oh yeah and possible gore.**

**2) Story is AU (Alternate Universe). Everything else is the same except there is no Japan or US or anything like that. And some laws of the universe are a little different. Nothing major.**

**3) Before the beginning of new chapters that are posted you will find recaps, small portions of the last chapter posted just so that you won't get lost.**

**4) Here's Chapter 1,**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**Chapter One: Action**

It was early January. A fresh new year had just begun. It was cold within the streets of Lanson around this time of year. It was no surprise since it was in the dead of winter. Though the skies were quite cloudy, no snow could be seen. Lanson wasn't likely to produce snow within its climate. The night had already fallen and little to no cars or people moved within the streets.

The Lanson Pavilion, Lanson's main shopping mall, had just closed for the night and had a rather vacated appearance. About a block down stood a phone booth located near one of the underground parking structures. The area was quiet as the winds picked up. In the distance, a vehicle could be seen approaching from down the street. A taxi.

It wasn't long until the taxi had reached the phone booth. As soon as it came to a stop, the passenger door opened and someone wearing a long white hooded coat stepped out with a case of luggage. The mysterious person stood in the middle of the sidewalk for a few more moments until the taxi drove off.

Once the taxi was no longer in site, the phone inside of the phone booth suddenly burst on with a loud ring. The hooded person turned and stepped into the phone booth before lifting the phone from its hook. Raising the phone to their ear, the person spoke.

"I'm here," said a female voice. The voice sounded secure and confident with an undertone of fear.

"Very well. Do you have directions to where you will be staying for the time being?" replied a grounded male voice from the other end. The hooded person then reached down and pulled a small piece of paper from their coat pocket. The paper had an address written on it.

"Yes." The female voice answered.

"Very well," the male voice spoke again, "And do you remember _why_ you are here?"

The hooded person paused for a moment.

"Yes." The female voice had no emotion.

"And why are you here?" the male voice quizzed slowly from the other line. The hooded person hesitated once more. The air in the booth seemed to have lowered in temperature.

"To kill Mephisto Pheles," the female voice answered.

"That is correct," the male voice said calmly. The hooded person remained silent as if waiting for something.

"You are dismissed," the male voice spoke once more before ending the conversation. The air was quiet again. With that, the hooded person returned the phone to its hook before exiting the phone booth.

They then went on to pull their luggage behind them as they continued on down the street. It wasn't long until the hooded person had reached their location. It appeared to be a small squeezed-in apartment-like house located right next to a convenient store. The hooded person then walked up to the front door and knocked a few times.

Shortly, the front door opened and a grown man with pale skin, glasses and grayish hair poked out his head.

"Welcome. I'll take your belongings," he said simply.

"Thank you," the hooded person said before stepping inside. The man then grabbed the hooded person's things and followed. Once he had brought the luggage inside, the phone near the kitchen began to ring. Placing the luggage aside, the man walked over and answered it.

"Hello? Yes, she just arrived. Yes, I'll make sure she's comfortable until your next order. Yes…may God and The Heavens be pleased," the man spoke shortly before hanging up the phone.

With that, the man turned to see the hooded person standing not too far from him. He then proceeded to look directly at them. The look on his face was very serious.

"Zori?" he called. With that, the person removed the hood from their head. The man could finally see the female's face. _Such beauty to be called to do a great deed._ These were the thoughts that went through the man's mind. The female's skin was dark and rich. The color of ebony. Her large eyes were a chocolate mid-brown and her brown-orange, kinky, stretched hair looked a bit disheveled. It had been a long night.

"My name is Grenn Smith. I will be assisting you with your stay here until the Headmaster calls his next order," the man explained.

"Yes, sir," Zori nodded.

"There is a guest room upstairs where you will be staying. I will be cooking all meals unless you wish to step in. Warm shower water is limited so use it wisely. Keep up with your training on your own time. If you wish to roam around the city you are free to do so…however," Grenn paused.

His silence caught Zori off guard, causing her to perk up her attentiveness.

"Yes…sir?" she urged him to continue. She was curious.

"However," Grenn went on, "You must, I repeat, you must do whatever it takes to stay out of the general space-time continuum."

His last warning hit her inner chords harshly. Now she definitely remembered why she was here.

"Y-Yes, sir," Zori confirmed her understanding. With that, Grenn gave out a small sigh of relief.

"Now, let me show you to your room," he spoke before walking over to pick up her luggage. As Zori followed him upstairs, thoughts began to race through her mind. She knew exactly what the Headmaster's next order was. But the question was, could she pull it off? Could she actually complete her mission? The Heavens seemed to have great faith in her. She wondered why. Why her of all people?

Sure she was about two-thirds of the angelic species, but so what? That didn't mean that she was The One. However, she would not complain. She would not defy The Heavens and their orders. They had done a lot of good for such a long time. A lot of good with or without the help of True Cross, the organization she was just now getting to know. It reminded her of where she was heading. What was to happen. This didn't make her feel relaxed. It was quite unsettling. But she had to keep her cool.

The room in which she was to stay was rather small but functional. It contained all the basic needs for a person to live inside for long periods of time. Grenn moved Zori's case of luggage towards the nearest dresser before turning to leave. As he headed towards the door he stopped right in front of her. The young woman eyed him as he handed her what looked to be a pamphlet. With a confused face, Zori took the pamphlet and flipped it open.

"It's your information. All the information you will need going into your next order. Read it carefully every day. Memorize it. It needs to be all of who you are," Grenn said.

"Yes, sir," Zori spoke. Grenn then gave a small gesture of respect before leaving the room. As he closed the door behind him his mind began to pace. As he returned downstairs he thought to himself.

"_I wonder how this will turn out."_

It was a completely neutral thought in a not-so-neutral situation. The Headmaster seemed very confident during their phone spats. It appeared that nothing would change his mind. Well, Grenn hoped that this time he was right. However, this was not an ordinary demon. This was Mephisto Pheles. And even that was a cover name. His real name was Samael and he was second in command right underneath Satan. He wasn't exactly a little girl skating in the park. Yet, the Headmaster continued on with his vision and sent this young-looking woman after him. Even Grenn wondered what the Headmaster was thinking. Some faith. That's all he could say about it. Deep down in his belly, Grenn knew that tonight's silence wouldn't be there long. So he'd best just take advantage of it.

In his mind it was as if a play was about to start. All the actors and techies were getting ready backstage. And soon…soon the lights would dim and noiselessness would creep across the theater as the stage curtains graced themselves open. And the director behind it all would be watching quietly from the wings discreetly telling himself…

…ACTION.

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**Well, I hope you guys enjoyed Chapter One. I should have Chapter 2 posted soon. I'll try my best to keep the chapters short for both your sake and my sake. **

**I have no idea where this story will lead so PLEASE BARE WITH ME!**

**Also, feel free to give suggestions and stuff! FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS WELCOMED!**

**Anyways, STAY TUNED and STAY AWESOME!**

**-J**


	2. The First Act - Part One

**Hello again everyone!**

**Here's the list (I normally gather a list of important things to tell you guys before the beginning of a new chapter)**

**1) Thank you so much for all the faves, follows, reviews, and hits this story has received so far. You guys are amazing already!**

**2) This chapter is a bit longer than the last**

**3) Here's Chapter 2,**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**RECAP**

_The room in which she was to stay was rather small but functional. It contained all the basic needs for a person to live inside for long periods of time. Grenn moved Zori's case of luggage towards the nearest dresser before turning to leave. As he headed towards the door he stopped right in front of her. __The young woman eyed him as he handed her what looked to be a pamphlet. With a confused face, Zori took the pamphlet and flipped it open._

_"It's your information. All the information you will need going into your next order. Read it carefully every day. Memorize it. It needs to be all of who you are," Grenn said._

_"Yes, sir," Zori spoke. Grenn then gave a small gesture of respect before leaving the room. As he closed the door behind him his mind began to pace. As he returned downstairs he thought to himself._

_"I wonder how this will turn out."_

_It was a completely neutral thought in a not-so-neutral situation. The Headmaster seemed very confident during their phone spats. It appeared that nothing would change his mind. Well, Grenn hoped that this time he was right. However, this was not an ordinary demon. This was Mephisto Pheles. And even that was a cover name. His real name was Samael and he was second in command right underneath Satan. He wasn't exactly a little girl skating in the park. Yet, the Headmaster continued on with his vision and sent this young-looking woman after him. Even Grenn wondered what the Headmaster was thinking. Some faith. That's all he could say about it. Deep down in his belly, Grenn knew that tonight's silence wouldn't be there long. So he'd best just take advantage of it._

_In his mind it was as if a play was about to start. All the actors and techies were getting ready backstage. And soon…soon the lights would dim and noiselessness would creep across the theater as the stage curtains graced themselves open. And the director behind it all would be watching quietly from the wings discreetly telling himself…_

_…ACTION._

**Chapter Two: The First Act - Part One**

Zori sat across her current bed flipping through the pamphlet she had been given. The room was warm. It made her feel a bit more comfortable. The past three weeks in Lanson had still been cold since she had first arrived. The days seemed to drag themselves along. Zori would keep herself busy by taking Grenn's advice.

She would take occasional walks around the city as she went through the pamphlet. She would find a safe location and then put up a special anti-space-time barrier to keep her off of demon radar. Once she could relax, she would skim over the information. It was quite a load, actually.

In the pamphlet was a list of names with pictures of those who The Heavens felt were the most important people for Zori to know. The first name on the list was that of Rin Okumura. She had heard quite a bit about him before during early training. Based on what she had heard, the sources were correct. He was the son of Satan born within a human body. Quite similar to her but more like the other way around.

According to her sources, he was currently the most important young male in the universe at the time. Everyone had their ideas and plans involving how they would use him. Heaven, Hell, and all parties in-between. He was a target from all sides. His picture showed that of a handsome young boy with pale skin, bright blue eyes, and short straight dark blue hair. He looked no older than maybe fifteen or sixteen.

Zori flipped the page to see another important young man. Yukio Okumura, Rin's twin brother. Apparently, he had turned out to be the fully human one of the two. Zori was also a bit surprised to see that such a young boy had managed to find his way into such a high position of power in such a short period of time. From what she was reading, Yukio had a rather important connection to Mephisto. The same went for Rin especially.

Zori flipped the page to see a young-looking woman with peachy skin, violet eyes, and long, flowing red hair with blonde tips. She appeared to be scantily clad wearing only a small bra and trousers considering that she had a relatively enormous bosom. It was interesting. This woman's name was Shura. Shura Kirigakure. According to the pamphlet she had been called in on account of Rin's well-being and she had received training from the female ninja school, Kirigakure. She had also trained under Shiro Fujimoto, the man who had raised Rin and Yukio before his death at the hands of Satan. From what Zori was reading, this woman was a highly-trained professional.

She went on to flip to the second to last page of the pamphlet to find the main suspect. Mephisto Pheles. Samael. The demon she would kill. Though she already knew a good deal of his information, reading it again only sent chills down her spine. This was no ordinary demon and his skills in exorcism had nothing to do with it. This was a demon who could control all aspects of time and space. He could probably jump from the past, present, and future without anyone noticing. No one would see him or hear him. Hear him coming. Hear him coming to kill them. And that's exactly why Zori wondered why on earth The Heavens had picked her to dispose of this man.

The young female flipped on to the next page to see a photo taken of him. It was certainly not what she was expecting. He looked…ridiculous. It was her first time actually seeing his physical appearance. From what she could see he was a very tall man. His skin was a ghostly pale color. His eyes were a dark forest green and his straight violet hair framed his face with a matching goatee. Overall, he was quite handsome. But that's not what made him look ridiculous. It was the outfit. The overbearing, in-your-face, "Hello, world! I'm here," outfit. All the pinks, whites, hearts, stars, and that top hat. It was all just too much for Zori's eyes to take. It was so…LOUD. She couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at the photo. She stared at it a bit longer. As she did, she could feel whatever fear she once had about his status fading away. From that moment on, she figured it was best to use that as a coping device. Think funny. It would probably help.

But now she had been over the pamphlet countless times. For a moment, the whole process started to feel a little redundant. It was literally ingrained in her skull. So, now Zori lay across her current bed flipping through the pages.

It was now seven o'clock on a Sunday night and the house was still. That's when she heard a knock on the door. Immediately, the young woman jumped up, walked over and opened it. Her in-house assistant, Grenn, stood before her.

"Dinner's ready," he said.

"Yes, sir," she complied. She always sounded so formal. It was the way she was raised. As she followed Grenn downstairs, the delicious aroma of hot food met her nostrils. She then looked towards the stove to see that he had made a healthy pot of beef stew, a perfect choice for such cold weather. Grenn gave Zori some time to get settled with her food and then sat down with her and ate. During the first few minutes the air was quiet. Only the sound of spoons against plates could be heard. Then, without warning, Zori spoke.

"This is delicious…Sir," she said. Grenn had to stop in mid-chew. He wasn't expecting it. For the past three weeks she had been living in his house she had been mostly mute. She didn't speak much.

"Um…thank you," Grenn let out with a chuckle. The two continued to eat. Grenn had a feeling that he wouldn't spend much more time with her so he figured it was best to converse some more.

"How do you feel? About the mission?" he asked suddenly. In that moment, he could have sworn he saw Zori almost choke but it happened so quickly.

"Well," Zori answered as she cleared her throat. She then went on to take a drink of water from the glass set before her. Grenn continued to eye her. She was a peculiar one.

"You don't talk much, do you?" he asked. In a way, he wasn't expecting to say it so bluntly. But it was too late when he saw Zori looking him right in the eye. A small smile placed her face as she nodded her head.

"That's alright…I'm sure there's quite a bit pressure on you from above," Grenn added. That's when he could see her eyes lower as she chewed her food slowly. He could tell that things were getting awkward for her.

"Ah, don't worry. I'm sure you'll do just fine. The Heavens will be pleased. I know it," Grenn stated with enthusiasm. With that, he could see a smile return to her lips.

"I…I hope so," Zori spoke again. He knew she was probably terrified. He couldn't help but be a little terrified for her as well. He surely hoped she wasn't going to walk into this mission to her death. But he could only hope just like her.

All was interrupted when the phone in the kitchen sprang on with a ring. Zori felt her heart stop for a moment. The young female halted her meal as she watched Grenn rise from his seat and walk over to answer the phone.

"Hello?" she heard him say, "Yes. Yes, sir. Alright. Right away. Yes, sir. Thank you."

And then he hung up the phone. Zori watched with subtly huge eyes as Grenn turned towards her from across the room. The air was silent once more. She could feel her hands tremble as she placed down her spoon. The look on Grenn's face was serious once again.

"It's time. You are heading to the Academy tomorrow," he said. Zori could feel the lower muscles of her belly churn and turn. Now she didn't really feel hungry anymore. The young woman only gave a small nod before standing to her feet and exiting upstairs.

Grenn could feel his own gut churn at the sight of it. It was sort of surreal from his point of view. Everything seemed to have started some form of motion. The machine was now moving. Apparently, he had done his part. But instead of just standing there in the middle of the kitchen looking unintelligent, Grenn decided to return to his seated meal and savor in it a few more moments.

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It was now 7:00 am and Zori had just finished repacking her things. The young female stood at her 5'5 frame as she watched Grenn pack her bags into the taxi. The sun had just risen so it gave the street they were on bright spiked yellow lines. Once Grenn had made sure all of Zori's bags were secure, he closed the trunk and walked back over to her.

The look on her face was that of a young soldier waiting for battle. He could feel his sympathy for her growing within him. With that, he simply placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

"May The Heavens be pleased," he said with comfort. Zori gave a half-smile and nodded before entering the passenger seat of the taxi. Looking out the window, she could see Grenn give a small wave before reentering his house. And that was it. The car had started to move and her true mission had begun. She was on her way to True Cross Academy, the place where Mephisto was said to be the Chairman.

Thinking about it made her nervous again. That's when she pulled out her pamphlet and looked at his picture. Her fears began to fade at the ridiculous site of him. She would finally realize that she would officially have to keep that in front of her. That would be the second most important thing she would need.

The first most important thing she would need was on the very last page of the pamphlet. The page she had to consume fully. The page that contained all the information about her fake student identity. It was odd.

According to the pamphlet, her fake identity was Lana Wordon, she was sixteen years-old, she was a first year student, she had come from great wealth, her parents were in the East working to build Churches of Exorcism, and she was from a town by the name of Claveson. This was all weird. She was much older than sixteen so she knew she would have to find a way to fit in with the other students. It wouldn't be easy but she would at least have to try.

Lanson was about three hours outside of True Cross Town. The ride there was long and boring. Zori had used the first hour to sleep, the next hour to go over the pamphlet once more, and the third hour to rehearse in her mind all the things that she had learned.

"_You will be the one to kill him. You have all the tools,"_ she remembered hearing The Headmaster say. Tools? What tools? What made her so special? She had spent most of her life in Spirit School half-way across the world and whatever encounters with demons she had involved demons that were strong but of a lower degree. So she didn't really understand The Headmaster's logic. Before she could question any more in her mind, she had arrived.

The taxi had just passed a giant sign with a cross that read "Welcome to True Cross Town."

The town was huge and spacious but that was not the highlight of her view. Smack down in the middle was a giant mountain with buildings piling on top of each other. Roads moved in and out of it as if it was a living breathing entity.

"Is that…is that the academy?" Zori curiously asked the taxi driver.

"Well, that's what my GPS is telling me," the taxi driver said lightly. The young female continued to watch in pure awe at the sight of the place. Spirit School was in another dimension so she had never really seen anything like this. It took about ten more minutes to finally reach the main entrance of the academy. It was about fifteen minutes to ten so she had actually beaten her estimated arrival time.

As the taxi had come to a stop in front of the academy, she could see another man standing outside wearing a long black cloak and white scarf. He was carrying a suitcase and appeared to be walking towards the vehicle. Zori then opened the door and stepped out cautiously as the man approached her.

"Zori?" the man mumbled. How did he know her name? Who was he? Zori didn't say anything, she just nodded.

"Excellent. I'm Clouse…Heverre. I was sent to assist you in settling here at True Cross Academy," the man mentioned. Then she remembered. The pamphlet did say a Heavens Representative would come and help her with her belongings and location. With that, she could feel a small sense of relief that she wouldn't be entirely alone.

"Yes, sir," she said, "my things are in the trunk."

Hearing that, Clouse moved towards the trunk as the taxi driver opened it. Zori took the time to finally look around the main entrance. It was humongous. Loads and loads of young students could be seen entering into the academy. More and more cars came as students continued to pour onto the scene. It was so alive. Spirit School was a little more intimate and concentrated so Zori wasn't used to such a phenomenon.

Clouse had grabbed Zori's belongings and moved them onto the curb. He had dark-red, dread-locked hair, bronze skin, and yellowish eyes.

"I already took care of your enrollment. You're in. You will receive more information about your classes after the matriculation ceremony which starts just inside the entrance in about ten minutes, which reminds me…," Clouse stopped before moving over to the suitcase he had set down. After snapping it open, he pulled out a bag of freshly pressed clothing.

"Here's your school uniform. Wear it confidently. You'll have to change into it before entering," he explained as he handed it to her. Zori then looked around. The flood of students persisted. That's when she spotted an area of nearby bushes. Clouse watched in an unaware manner as the young woman leaped into the bushes and began changing.

"I'll be out," Zori spoke from her position. It took about five minutes for her to change into her completely near wardrobe. She had slipped on a plaited powder pink mini-skirt, a white short-sleeved blouse, and a cream-beige sleeveless sweater to go over it. Her legs were wrapped in white thigh-high leggings and her feet wore cream-white loafers. Fortunately, due to her task, she was given an extra gift. A nice handy angelic knife which she would keep wrapped around her inner right thigh. Her skirt covered it so no one would notice.

Zori then gathered her old clothes and turned to leave when she heard a ruffle in the bushes. The young female stopped and turned into the direction from which it came. To her pleasant surprise it turned out to be a small white dog. It had greenish eyes and wore a pink bow with white polka dots around its neck. It was so…adorable. It just stood there staring at Zori while it wagged its tail rapidly. With that, Zori smiled at it. It only continued to stare at her. That's when she could hear a loud bell go off. The ceremony was about to beginning.

"Bye, little guy," Zori spoke before exiting the bushes and heading back to Clouse. She then handed Clouse her old clothes and turned to enter the academy.

"The ceremony is only about 25 minutes long. Remember to meet me right here afterwards so I can show you to your room," he reminded.

Zori gave a small nod before heading within the crowd of students. Clouse watched as she disappeared from his site. With that, he walked near the crowd of students as they continued to rush into the building. He proceeded to pull out a cell phone from his coat pocket and dialed a number. After the first ring he heard a male voice immediately pick up.

"Yes?" the male voice said.

"She's in," Clouse stated.

"Good," the male voice replied.

The mission was GO and the first act had just begun.

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**For the second time, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

**Once again, I have NO idea where I'm gonna go with this. I have some ideas but I am also open to suggestions and FEEDBACK. FEEDBACK is always welcomed.**

**As expected, I have already started to receive questions about my last story Earth Found and why I deleted it. I am going to tell you that I MIGHT re-upload the first part. MAYBE. But I just don't like the OOCNESS of it all. But I'm also considering how you guys feel. Is it worthy of being re-uploaded?**

**Yay or nay?**

**I was thinking of either re-uploading it or re-writing it again. Meh, I dunno.**

**But anyways, I'll try to keep the chapters short and push them out every few days. **

**Until next time,**

**STAY TUNED and STAY AWESOME!**

**-J**


	3. The First Act - Part Two

**Hey yall'!**

**It's late. Here's the list:**

**1) Thank you guys so much for all the reviews, hits, faves, and follows this story has received so far! I couldn't do it without you guys!**

**2) Here's Chapter 3,**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**RECAP**

_"Here's your school uniform. Wear it confidently. You'll have to change into it before entering," he explained as he handed it to her. Zori then looked around. The flood of students persisted. That's when she spotted an area of nearby bushes. Clouse watched in an unaware manner as the young woman leaped into the bushes and began changing._

_"I'll be out," Zori spoke from her position. It took about five minutes for her to change into her completely near wardrobe. She had slipped on a plaited powder pink mini-skirt, a white short-sleeved blouse, and a cream-beige sleeveless sweater to go over it. Her legs were wrapped in white thigh-high leggings and her feet wore cream-white loafers. Fortunately, due to her task, she was given an extra gift. A nice handy angelic knife which she would keep wrapped around her inner right thigh. Her skirt covered it so no one would notice._

_Zori then gathered her old clothes and turned to leave when she heard a ruffle in the bushes. The young female stopped and turned into the direction from which it came. To her pleasant surprise it turned out to be a small white dog. It had greenish eyes and wore a pink bow with white polka dots around its neck. It was so…adorable. It just stood there staring at Zori while it wagged its tail rapidly. With that, Zori smiled at it. It only continued to stare at her. That's when she could hear a loud bell go off. The ceremony was about to beginning._

_"Bye, little guy," Zori spoke before exiting the bushes and heading back to Clouse. She then handed Clouse her old clothes and turned to enter the academy._

_"The ceremony is only about 25 minutes long. Remember to meet me right here afterwards so I can show you to your room," he reminded._

_Zori gave a small nod before heading within the crowd of students. Clouse watched as she disappeared from his site. With that, he walked near the crowd of students as they continued to rush into the building. He proceeded to pull out a cell phone from his coat pocket and dialed a number. After the first ring he heard a male voice immediately pick up._

_"Yes?" the male voice said._

_"She's in," Clouse stated._

_"Good," the male voice replied._

_The mission was GO and the first act had just begun._

**Chapter Three: The First Act - Part Two**

The matriculation ceremony was interesting. So many colorful people filled the seats of the auditorium. As Zori sat in her seat, she tried as hard as she could to blend in with the people around her. Her kinky hair was now set into medium-thick two-strand twists and placed back into a high pony tail. The young female discreetly scoped the auditorium to see if she could spot Mephisto or anyone else she had read about in the pamphlet. So far, no luck. She would have to let time slide by.

Though the ceremony felt as if it took forever and a day, Zori finally managed to make her way back to Clouse. The young female could soon be seen coming back down the main steps.

"Good. You're back," Clouse said as he grabbed her things. Zori watched him with curiosity.

"Time to get you settled in," he added.

From there, the two of them walked a great distance until they finally reached the girls southern dormitory. The building was huge. It looked like a hotel. Zori didn't say anything. She just took in the view. Upon entering the building, they took the elevator up to the eighth floor. From there, Clouse lead Zori down the long maze-like halls until they reached room 808. He then reached into his coat pocket and pulled out what looked to be a room key.

"Here you go. You'll be staying in room 808," he said as he handed it to her. Zori took the key and put it into the keyhole before unlocking the door. Turning the handle, she opened the door to a rather spacious room that contained a large desk and four small beds. As Zori stepped inside, she began looking around to see if someone was already in there. Clouse noticed.

"Don't worry, the whole room is yours. I set it up," he spoke up. Zori turned to face him with lifted eyebrows.

"Thank you, Sir," she said giving a small nod. Clouse then brought her bags in and set them near one of the beds.

"Well, that's it for now. At noon, the students will be sharing their first lunch together. Go and make friends. First-year campus tours start at 1:00 pm. I'll be back around 11:45 to take you to the cafeteria," he explained.

"Yes, sir. Thank you…again," Zori replied with appreciation.

"No problem. Take care for now," he said. And then he left. Zori was now alone in the dorm. It was a big room. The young female paced the room to pick and choose where she wanted to put away some of her things. A large window planted itself across the wall. Looking out of it, she had a great view of the campus. She watched as students roamed to and fro, making friendships and socializing.

The sun was growing brighter by the minute. And that's when she saw it. Outside across the grass near one of the main fountains was that same little white dog she had seen earlier. It made Zori completely stop in the middle of her sight-seeing. The dog seemed to be staring right at her from all the way down there. How on earth did that cute little pup manage to notice her with all those students walking around? It was quite odd.

That's when she could hear the sound of female students laughing as they ran through the corridors of the dormitory. Zori looked towards the door and saw their shadows running by through the cracks. Once she returned her attention to the outside view, she could see that the dog had disappeared. The young female's eyes scanned the entire area once again. Not a dog in sight. The small situation made Zori raise a brow her but she pushed it aside as she began thinking about what would happen at lunch.

She would finally have to interact with other students. She would have to make sure that she could put on a good show and that she remembered all of her lines. That's when the nervousness kicked in again. The female quickly paced the room some more for a few more minutes until it was deemed repetitive. She then settled with the last resort of lying down on one of the beds. It was nice and soft. For another fifteen minutes, Zori lay staring up at the ceiling until she nodded off for a short nap.

**::**

At exactly 11:45 am, Zori could hear someone knocking on her door. Unaware of what time it was, she jumped up from the bed and quickly trotted over to answer it. Upon opening it, she could see that Clouse had returned.

"Hello again. It's almost noon. Shall we go?" he said. From there, the two them exited the girl's southern dormitory and started another long walk across campus. Their travel involved crossing one of the main fountains. The same fountain where she had seen that little white dog. Clouse noticed Zori looking around as they passed it.

"Is everything alright? Are you looking for something?" he asked.

"No," Zori replied almost with a squeak. She didn't expect that. Clouse gave her an investigative look as they continued walking. With all this early exercise, Zori wondered how the actual tour of the campus would be. She would just have to find out. Their walk had taken about fifteen minutes until they had reached the school's cafeteria. It was more like a dining hall than anything else. The room was great in width and had windows than ran all across the walls. It was now 11:59 and students filled the space. Direct sunlight could be felt beaming in from outside.

"Well, here you are. Good luck. May God and the Heavens be pleased," Clouse said. Zori turned to acknowledge his comment but wasn't anticipating that he would be gone. The female looked around all behind her to see where he had walked off to but he was nowhere in general view. She was now alone again. In public. Her activities had begun. There was no rethinking anything. She was live.

With no more hesitation, Zori subtly scooted her way through the moving crowds. She could hear everything. Stories about what had occurred during the prior semester, hopes of not getting sick, and quite a few questions about which classes certain students were taking. All of these experiences were relatable to a degree. She remembered when she was younger and just starting Spirit school. She was also a nervous newbie but she eventually got used to it.

On the surface, it looked as if she was only repeating it all over again. But Zori knew what she had to do. She went on to observe the people around her some more. Quite a few males in the area were looking in her direction. She then checked her apparel to make sure that everything was in place. The males kept staring. Zori then began attempting to adjust her shirt out of discomfort. She wasn't used to getting such attention.

With careful steps, she had finally made her way over to one of the large refrigerators that held all the heat-up lunches. She found her eyebrows lifting high again when she saw the variety of succulent courses displayed before her. Everything was there. Fried shrimp, lobster, crab, scallops, roast beef, sandwiches, gourmet chicken, rice cakes, sushi, pizza, burgers. Anything she could think of. She then remembered that she hadn't eaten anything all that morning.

Zori quickly glanced over towards the meal ticket vending machine to see that each meal cost 25 dollars and up. She then figured they must have been some of the best lunches she'll probably ever come by in the living world. Knowing that, she pulled out her wallet and zipped it open. Apparently, Clouse was quite generous when it came to making sure that she had enough money during her stay. With that, she made her way over to the meal ticket machine and readied her money to be entered when someone stepped in front of her.

Zori was a bit taken aback when she saw a bunch of spiky pink hair. She was also quite put off by the audacity and rudeness of the person in front of her. The young female placed a firm hand on her hip as the sound of paper-money slipping into the vending machine took place. It was then followed by the sound of a paper being printed. With that, the person in front of her snatched the printed paper from the machine before turning to face her.

"Here you go. Lunch is on me," the young male said with a charming smile. Her brown eyes met his brown eyes. She was sort of overwhelmed by it all. That's when she looked down at the meal ticket he was holding out to her.

"U-Um…thank you," Zori replied as she slowly reached out and took it. The young, pale, pink-haired male then leaned in a little closer.

"Maybe we can escalate this to…dinner?" he then asked. Zori was at a loss for words. Was this guy actually hitting on her? Was this happening right now? Before school even started? During welcome week?

"Eh, Shima! Leave her alone!" shouted a gruff voice from off in the distance. Out of nowhere popped a tall, hefty male with lightly tanned skin, brown eyes, and dark brown hair completed with a sharp blonde streak running right down the middle. Adding to that were several small piercings covering most of his ears. He didn't look like he was someone to be messed with.

"What? I was just asking this pretty little lady out," the pink-haired male explained with a sly smile. Zori was still in slight awe. The tall, hefty-looking male then glanced in her direction. He looked really mean.

"He givin' you a hard time?" he asked.

"N-No…he was…really nice," Zori stuttered out as she held up the meal ticket. Why was she so nervous? The hefty-looking male looked over towards the pink-haired male and gave him an evil glare.

"Alright…just making sure," he said. Zori chuckled lightly.

"Wanna come sit with us?" the pink-haired male asked suddenly.

"Shima!" the hefty-looking male shouted.

"What? She's new. Maybe she wants to get to know some people," the pink-haired male went on. The hefty-looking male only let out a frustrated sigh before marching off. Zori wasn't expecting such small drama. Her thoughts were cut off as the pink-haired male approached her again.

"I'm Shima," he said, holding out his hand. Zori paused before speaking.

"Lana," she said as she reached out to shake his hand. She had to remember to use her fake name.

"Hm. That's a nice name. You're a first year right?" Shima asked.

"Yeah…um…how could you tell?"

"You just looked a little lost," he answered bluntly. Zori could feel her shyness rising and falling. How would it balance?

"I…guess I was," she replied with a laugh. With that, Shima joined in as well.

"Well, we're sitting over there near the window. I can walk you over if you're interested," he offered. The young female froze. What should she do? She had a mission. She was on a quest. But she didn't even know how everything was operated. She would have to start somewhere.

"Um…sure," she said with a smile. She figured it would at least get her some new friends to make her seem normal.

From there, they used their meal tickets, grabbed their lunches, and made their way across the cafeteria. As they approached their destination, she could see the hefty-looking male and a much smaller male sitting at a table. The smaller male could be seen wearing red glasses. He looked a bit curious while the hefty-looking male seemed a bit nonchalant.

"Guys, this is Lana. She's a first year," Shima introduced. Zori gave a small smile and semi-wave. The males kept looking.

"Lana, this here's Bon and that little guy over there is Konekomaru," he stated.

"Hi…," Zori greeted. With that, Bon gave a simple nod while Konekomaru waved back. He had pale skin and his hair was cut into a very short fade. After getting settled in, they all began eating.

"So," Shima began, "where are you from?"

Question number two of the quiz. That's how she felt.

"I'm…from Claveson," she said. The three males looked at her for a moment. Would it work? Would they buy it?

"Ha! I have a cousin from there," Shima replied. Zori could feel relief on the inside.

"Yeah?" she said, trying to keep the subject on him.

"Yeah, they had a temple down there before it closed down. Have you ever heard of Marksin Temple?"

Zori was starting to get uneasy. These particular questions demanded details. She had to think of something.

"Marksin? Temple? No, I'm afraid I haven't," she said.

"Really? Wow, my cousin says it's really, really big," Shima added with somewhat excitement. Zori figured it was now time to bullshit.

"Oh…wait a minute…I think I remember seeing a big temple there," the female lied.

"See? Yeah, that was my cousins temple," Shima repeated.

"Oh…cool," Zori giggled out lightly.

"Yeah, Bon, Konekomaru, and I are from a temple as well," Shima started again.

"Oh, really?" Zori asked. This time she was mildly interested. So far, he seemed like a genuinely nice guy.

"Yeah, we all grew up there," he went on. Zori continued to nod her head with attentiveness.

"Hey, where's Rin? He was supposed to meet us for lunch," Konekomaru spoke suddenly. Zori could feel her ears perk up. That name. She knew it.

"Meh, who knows what that idiot's up to. Him being an idiot and all," Bon said.

"Or he could be working on something with Yukio," Shima added in. Bon only shrugged as Konekomaru expressed a look of disappointment. However, on the inside, Zori was getting quite lively. This was definitely the Rin she had read about. Where these three males his friends? His close friends? She couldn't say anything involving him. They would ask how she knew such information. That would blow her cover for sure.

Upon contemplating in her head, she found that the only thing wise to do was befriend this group of people. That could also lead to befriending Rin, which could lead to getting closer to Mephisto. She still hadn't seen the man. She had no idea where he stayed or resided. She didn't even know how he got around from day to day. She would have to keep her eyes sharp.

"How old are you?" Konekomaru suddenly asked. Zori had to catch herself for a moment.

"I'm…sixteen," she answered softly.

"Really? For some strange reason, you seem older," he replied rather frankly. This made Zori's stomach twist.

"Oh…no, I'm only sixteen," she repeated with a light laugh. While her timid charm rubbed the boys the right way, she was almost losing it underneath.

"Ha-ha! Let's hope you're not lying to us like Shura does," Shima laughed. Shura. That name she knew also. These boys knew Shura as well? Was she their teacher? If so, this was a divine meeting.

"So what classes are you taking?" Konekomaru asked.

"Well…I find out today after the tour," she replied.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about those. The tours are always so boring," Bon said.

"What? I liked the tours. I had never seen a school so big in my life," Konekomaru simply debated.

"Well, brace yourself, Lana. You're gonna be bored for sure," Bon said.

"No, Lana, don't listen to him. You'll love the tour," Konekomaru argued. Then Zori felt something, it was interesting. There was something about these boys. There was a pleasant energy they each gave off with the exception of Bon's roughness. They all seemed like really good people. Zori examined the feeling washing over her for that miniscule moment. She had to stop herself. She couldn't get too close. Keeping her distance emotionally was a part of protocol. Things would get really dangerous really fast if she ever slipped up on that.

"First years!" a strong male voice shouted into the air. Zori looked up to see a tall man with yellowish-gold skin and straight, jet-black hair standing in the middle of the cafeteria. He wore a long black robe with small badges on it. Without a doubt, he was an exorcist.

"First years!" he shouted again, "The campus tours will begin in two minutes! Please finish your meals and form a group around me!"

Zori looked down to see she had eaten everything on her lunch tray. She then looked up to see the look of expectancy on all three males' faces.

"Get ready to get bored," Bon passed as he crossed his arms. Konekomaru only let out a sigh of frustration.

"Well," Zori said "It was nice meeting you all and thank you…Shima…for lunch."

"Nice meeting you too and no problem. Anything for a pretty lady," Shima replied with a grin. This earned a knock on the head from Bon. Konekomaru only smiled and waved as Zori left the table. She slowly walked over towards the main tour guide as other students also gathered around him. She could hear conversation escalating as the crowd deepened. There turned out to be quite a healthy amount of first-years.

"Alright! Is everyone here? Are all the first-years here? Last call for first years!" the black-haired man shouted. Zori watched as a few more students scurried their way towards the group.

"Alright! We're moving! We're moving!" the man yelled once more as he began the tour. Zori took one more look back towards the table Shima and his friends had been sitting to see a boy approaching it. It was Rin. Rin Okumura. Zori seemed a bit enchanted by actually seeing who she was reading about in person. It was mildly exciting. That's when she noticed Shima looking her way again. He gave one last smile and wave. She waved back and saw Rin turn his head in her direction. Luckily, she had turned back around just in time. Her apprehensiveness was showing. She disliked herself in that instant.

"Who was that?" Rin asked as he took a seat at the table.

"Her name's Lana. She's new," Shima said. Rin kept looking as the crowd of first-years went off into the distance.

"She hot?" Rin asked bluntly, earning a smack from Bon.

"Yeah, she's pretty hot," Shima said. With that, Bon nearly flipped the entire table out of pure annoyance.

"Okay, okay, man. It's not that serious," Rin spoke in defense. The four males then went on with their lunches.

**::**

So far, Zori didn't find the tour to be boring at all. If anything, she was enthralled by how extensive the campus was. The class rooms and halls were extraordinarily boundless. If she did everything right, she would fit in just fine. She could also sense barriers all over the place. Fortunately, they were only set up for demons. She was the exact opposite. This could be used to her advantage since the spirit power within most barriers contained angelic elements.

Zori remained in her observant stance. It was like a maze. She would have to learn and learn fast how this campus worked. Things would get awfully busy quite soon. To her surprise, the tour didn't take as long as she had forethought. Within about 45 minutes, the students were back, safe and sound, at the school cafeteria. As they re-entered the area, Zori looked over to see that Shima, Rin, and their friends had left. She hoped she would run into them again soon.

"Alright first-years! Head to the enrollment office, give them your name so that you can get your class schedules! School starts next week! Make sure that you get this done by the end of the day! The enrollment office will close at six o'clock! Well that's all for now! I'll see you guys in the official school year!" the tour guide shouted before walking over to talk to a fellow exorcist. And from there, the entire group dispersed. Zori paced herself as she calculated her next move. She then took on the wise suggestion of going to the enrollment office to get her schedule. It was best to just get it out of the way so she could use the rest of the day to settle into her new temporary home.

The enrollment office was quite easy to find since Zori decided to follow a few students who had the same idea in mind. After a short walk, she had come across what looked like a giant line of check-in booths. Each booth had a person waiting to assist anyone who needed help. There were so many spots open. Zori swiftly moved towards a booth and stepped to the counter.

"Name?" said the middle-aged woman from the other side. It was straight to the point.

"Um…Lana…Lana Wordon," Zori stated. Hearing that, the woman typed in something on her keyboard and began scanning the computer screen in front of her. After a few scrolls and clicks of her computer mouse, the printer on the woman's desk began operating. A small yet decent-sized sheet of paper slide out from the warm machine. The woman quickly picked it up and handed it to her.

"Alright, you're all set. All your information's there. You start on Monday. Good luck," the woman added before turning all of her attention back to the computer screen.

"Thank you…Ma'am," Zori said gratefully before walking away. At the same time, she thanked Clouse, the Headmaster, and everybody else involved for successfully entering her into the school's database. Now all she had to do was make her way back to her dorm room and, with great hope, get some more lovely sleep. With that, the young female advanced towards the campus' main courtyard. The dorms were just on the other side. As she kept walking, she glanced down at her schedule.

She didn't think she would have to take basic math, English, science, and history over again. With the addition of a Holy Scripture class and a hands-on spiritual yet physical education course, her classes were pretty normal. In a way, Zori couldn't help but feel a bit relieved. Now she could definitely blend in focus on her main goal. She could feel the relief rushing through her again as she made a turn around the back side of the courtyard.

As Zori scanned to see what time her classes would be starting, she felt her body hit something solid and stable. She almost lost her balance as she stumbled backwards.

"Oh…I'm so-," Zori began to say when she looked up. Unfortunately, she couldn't get the rest out. She couldn't really say anything else. Or think of anything else. Her whole day had stopped at that point. There he was. Standing right in front of her. The man she was to kill. Mephisto Pheles. And boy he was tall. His presence towered over her like a skyscraper. His green eyes were twice the color in person. The look on his face was that of amusement. It was…unsettling.

"Well, hello there," he said with politeness and charm. That was different. Zori had to do something. Could she kill him? Could she kill him now? What the hell was she thinking? Of course, not!

"H-Hello," she replied in a stupid stutter. What was she doing?

"Looks like somebody's in a hurry," the demon said with a chuckle.

"Heh-heh," Zori said, wanting to scratch through her hair so badly. She tried not to look directly at his face but she couldn't. His stare was demanding and…kind of alluring. He wore a cream-beige suite with gold buttons and a cream undershirt. His hands were set in purple gloves and his feet wore black boots.

"Sir Pheles is everything alright?" said a much younger looking exorcist. In fact, he looked too young. On top of that, he looked awfully a lot like Rin Okumura.

"Ah, yes, Yukio. Everything's fine. We just had a little whoopsie moment, didn't we?" the tall man gestured on with an abnormally wide grin. Zori could only nod and let out a half-giggle. She had stunted herself. She had to get out of this.

"Um…my apologies…Sir. I'll…watch where I'm going next time," she said flimsily as she slightly bowed her head.

"I'm sure you will," Mephisto replied. The grin never left his face. With that, Zori tilted her head to the side as she turned around and continued walking. She could feel the demon watching her as she move further away from him.

Back behind her, Yukio noticed Mephisto watching her.

"Sir Pheles?" he called out.

"Yes, Yukio?"

"Is everything…alright?" he asked again. This time Mephisto could tell that it was a much deeper question.

"Oh yes, Yukio. Everything's just fine," the demon answered. His voice faded a little. In that instant, the air was completely silent.

"Alright, I must get going. I have numerous things to attend to and you have classes to teach, do you not?" he furthered. With that, the young male perked up in stoic energy.

"Yes, sir. I will be on my way," he stated with respect before turning and walking in the opposite direction. The demon then looked into the direction in which Zori had gone. However, he remained still.

"Hm." he said to himself. Then another grin placed his face. He had been watching her.

* * *

**Well I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

**FEEDBACK is always welcomed!**

**I'm going to bed!**

**STAY TUNED and STAY AWESOME!**

**-J**


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